


Dawn of the Day

by silberstreif



Category: October Daye Series - Seanan McGuire
Genre: Adoption, F/F, Fluff, Yuletide 2015
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-20
Updated: 2015-12-20
Packaged: 2018-05-07 22:11:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5472464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silberstreif/pseuds/silberstreif
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jazz gets a surprise visitor who leaves a surprise gift. How will May react?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dawn of the Day

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LeaperSonata](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeaperSonata/gifts).



> For Leaper Sonata. I wasn't quite comfortable with the more explicit prompts, but I hope you do not mind to get an extra dose of fluff instead. Happy Christmas!

 

Dawn of the Day

 

Jazz let herself fall into the soft office chair with a very satisfied groan. It had taken a while, but now everything in her little store gleamed and shined just like it should. The refracted light made her inner raven flutter with delight. And now that she had sold that big vase in the corner, she even had a enough space to get that tall silver lamp out of the backroom! It would look great through the big store window and make the whole room a little bit lighter.

She looked to the clock. Ten minutes, then May would get her. It was date night and May had promised to show her a little, corner restaurant that was “simply the best” as she had said. Jazz couldn’t wait to see it, but really May had an uncanny talent to find things. It might have been just herself, or might have carried over from being a Fetch, no one knew.

Jazz didn’t care. Her girlfriend was just perfect as she was. Thoughtfully, she touched her ears – yes, the green-blue new earrings where still there. Would May notice them? They were the exact shade as the highlights in her feathers and hair… They had been a bit more expensive, but Jazz had seen them and needed them now. They had just shined so beautifully!

The soft ringing of a bell let her walk out of the small office and look towards the door. A man had entered the shop, tall and lean, with black hair and amber eyes.

“Caleb!” She jumped up, a big smile on her face. Before the man could say anything, she had given him a quick hug. “It’s great to see you. What are you doing here? Do you want tea? Coffee? Anything else?”

“Jasmine,” he said quietly, but returned her quick hug. “I don’t have the time to stay long…”

“So what?” She pushed him towards the second seat in her office. “I still have coffee!” She quickly filled two cup. “Here, now take it, it’s just getting colder.”

“Thank you.” He took the cup, sipped it for a moment, then looked at her. “How are you, Jasmine?”

She rolled her eyes. “Jazz, just call me Jazz.”

“Jasmine is a beautiful name.”

“Yes.” She gave him a playful glare, but Caleb was as unimpressed as ever. Older than her, with a gentle demeanour, he had always been a bit too serious. Most raven-dancers became owners of second-hand stores, dealt with antiques or worked with jewellery. To the astonishment of the flock, Caleb had opted to become lawyer. Jazz hadn’t been surprised. Caleb had read the New York Times in High School between breaks and had declared that his idol was George Washington. “I get it Caleb, that as a lawyer you have to look respectable, but really… only black and white?” She frowned. “At least your tie could have some blue. And don’t tell me, that’s not serious enough, I have seen other lawyers with bright red ties.”

“They might have wanted to make a political statement.”

“So? Take a green one. The USA still doesn’t have a green party, so you are safe!”

He blinked, then chuckled for a short moment. “I will consider it the next time.”

“Do that.” She paused and looked at him a bit closer. His feathery hair, so typical for them, looked flat and lifeless. His eyes were dry and red-rimmed, the suit was less impeccable than usual. “Caleb… are you alright? I mean… it’s nice to see you, but I thought you had other things to do. Some big case, you mentioned?”

He nodded. “I won.”

She gave him a short smile. “Don’t you always?”

“I try to, at least.” He sighed and looked into his cup. “But you are right, I am here because… something happened.”

Since she knew and loved May, she had learned that ‘something happening’ could lead to blood and death very fast. That experience made her more alarmed than she would have been a few years ago. “Tell me everything.”

“After the last case, a good friend of mine appeared at my door. She is a swan-maid and excellent lawyer. She was also pregnant and asked if she could hide in my apartment for a week.” His shoulders slumped. “How could I say no? She looked so afraid and hunted… I let her in.”

She took his hand. “Oh, Caleb.” There was more to it, than just pity. She could see that as plain as day. Caleb had liked that swanmaiden.

“Nothing happened for four days. Then, I came home and my apartment was on fire. I managed to carry Sasia outside. But as you know, I haven’t made a lot of friends in New York during my career and I knew of no healers nearby… I took her to the hospital.” If possible, his dark hair became even blacker. For a moment Jazz felt it in the air, this unique taste fate and death. She knew what he would say, before he shakily spoke the next words: “It was too late. She had inhaled too much smoke, and her feathers and hair had burned too… I held her hand, when she died.”

“Murder?”

“Yes.” He nodded and closed his eyes. “Not intended murder, but you know our laws. Her lover met swift and merciless justice.”

“Good,” she spat. “What about… the child?”

“The hospital thought I am the father and gave it to me.” He looked up, lost and confused. “They just put the child into my arms, said my condolences and that was it. No one else wanted the child, because it is a mix. Half swan-maid, half something unknown.”

“Oh.”

“But I don’t know what to do with her!” Caleb raised his hands. “I lead no stable life, I have no partner, I have no idea what a chicken needs!” He stood up and began pacing. “But I can’t just leave her, too.”

Jazz had a feeling why he was here. “So, you decided to dumb her?!”

Caleb flinched. “No! I want to find a good family for her.”

“Me?”

“Yes?”

Oh by Oberon and all the others! But before she could list all the reasons, why it was a bad idea, he just talked on:

“Of course, if you don’t want her, I could go to Marian, or Temel. It doesn’t have to be forever and just tempory-“

Jazz stood up. “Marian or Temel?” she hissed. “Those two couldn’t even keep their own dog alive!”

Caleb looked away. “Everyone else who I thought capable already said no.”

“Oh.” Jazz closed her mouth for a moment. Of course they had said no. It was a swan-maiden and they were a raven-dancer flock. It wasn’t there responsibility. That Caleb was even trying said more about him, than about anything else. She took a deep breath, then another.

“Please?” Caleb looked at her full with hope.

“Okay.” Jazz closed her eyes and hoped, really hoped, that May wouldn’t be too mad.

~

May opened the door and stared. And stared some more. Jazz twitched.

“Is that a…?” she finally asked slowly.

“Yes.” Jazz tried to smile. “Happy early Christmas?”

“It’s November.” May blinked and stepped aside. “Well, come in.”

Jazz did, in one arm holding the little swan-maiden – who was absolutely an adorable baby, with light blue hair and little grey fuzz of hair on top of her head.

The living room of the Daye siblings hadn't changed. 'Cheerful chaos' described it best and it was just as Jazz liked it. She sat down on the old, comfortable couch with the soft pillows that looked a bit battered, even though Jazz knew they were less than six months old. To her relief, May didn’t hesitate to sit down next to her, looking at the little one as if she would grow a second head any second time. Of course, for all Jazz knew, something in Faerie could do exactly that. As a Fetch May knew sometimes strange (and terrifying, but awesome) things.

“She doesn’t bite,” Jazz informed her girlfriend. “But the little pooper does ruin clothes.”

May looked up. “She ruined yours?”

“Yep. Aaaand tried with the car. But I was cleverer, I had diapers!” It had taken only nearly an hour to change those diapers. It was… unpleasant, but hopefully something she got used to fast.

May chuckled. “So, what’s her name and is she yours?”

For a moment there was a soft uncertainty underneath May’s behaviour. That, more than anything else, made Jazz’s heart squeeze. “No!” she hurried to say. “At least not like that. She… is kind of adopted.”

The relief only touched May’s eyes, as her face laughed. “Kind of? Tell me more!”

And so she did tell her the whole sorry story of Caleb. Afterwards, May was playing with the little feet of the swan-maiden. The baby was giggling. “So, she doesn’t even have a name yet?”

Jazz shook her head. “We can call her pooper!”

“Or the next big monster!”

They shared a grin. But the word monster made Jazz remember, that May had family too. “Where’s Toby? Out there, defending the realm and all of us?”

“More likely out there and enjoying dating a Cait Sidhe.” May snuggled closer to Jazz. “So… I never guessed that the two of us would make this step, but… Jazz, do you want to keep her? Forever?”

And, oh Faerie, forever was long. Jazz gulped. It meant forever with May. Forever a family. Her own little family with May and this child. And suddenly she could see it and it was beautiful.

“Yes,” she whispered. “I want us to raise her. As a family.”

“Us,” repeated May softly. “A Fetch as a parent?”

“You’ll the best parent of the world,” Jazz kissed her lover. “Just as you are the best girlfriend in the world. And anyone who’ll say different, I will aggressively convince otherwise.”

May smiled. It was light and full of hope and love. It made Jazz’s heart stutter, and if possible she fell in love just a little more.

“Can I hold her?”

“Sure.” Carefully, she gave May the baby, whose hand in that moment became a little more feathery. “If you tickle the long feathers she can still feel it, because they are her fingers.”

May nodded and held the baby as if it was the most precious and breakable thing in the world. Then, she tickled the long feathers and the little swan-maiden laughed.

Jazz thought that everything might just turn out wonderful.

~

Jazz gave the shopping cart a look. Inside was one happy baby playing with her own foot in a brand-new carrier, diapers, toys, blankets, pillows, bottles with mysterious extracts, books, more toys, a night lamp and a blender. “My dear shopaholic of a girlfriend, are you sure that is everything a baby needs?”

May stopped hurrying through supermarket corridors. “I don’t know,” she admitted uncertainly.

“Well, we have now enough for five babies, super-mum.” Jazz took the cart and pushed it towards checkout. “And we still need to buy a bed.”

“I like her sleeping with us.”

“I do too, but don’t have all babies a bed?” Jazz shrugged. “And your sis got annoyed when she started crying in the morning.”

“Babies cry, that’s a law of nature!” With a sly grin, May disappeared in another corridor and came with something not so small and blue back. “For us,” she said with a sly grin. “You know, so Toby can listen to our cries…”

Jazz laughed. “I think she’ll kick us out after several such nights.”

“And would that be such a bad idea?” May kissed Jazz. “I know you live in the same apartment complex as the rest of your flock, but maybe… we should set out on our own. Discover the world and all that.”

Jazz wanted that. Oh yes, she wanted that. “You mean spread our love to unsuspecting neighbours, hopefully traumatising them forever.”

“Just a perk of living with you.” May held the hand of the little one. “So, what do you say?”

“Blockhead,” she said affectionately, “I say yes! What else? I can start searching tomorrow.”

~

Finding an apartment with a baby was surprisingly difficult. Too many were not enthusiastic about a baby anywhere near them. Jazz felt like a mommy-bear who needed to tear someone apart, pronto.

“That bad?” asked May as she came back from yet another showing.

“Worse.” She made a grimace. “They’re all assholes.” She gave May a kiss on the mouth, and then the baby on the head. Just being near them relaxed her.

“Assholes stay assholes,” said May philosophically. “On the other hand, I have used the time productively.”

“Yes?” Jazz gave Toby’s living room a second glance, but no, everything was like always.

“Yes. I have thought about names. Toby even helped!”

Jazz looked back to May, who was entirely enthusiastic now. “Okay, you two, what did you came up with? And I will not call her December.”

May crossed her arms. “We don’t have the same taste as our mother.”

“Really? October was her mother, but May was entirely you.” She grinned. “And didn’t you mention that there might be another sister called August? And wasn’t there a January around as well?” May sticked her tongue out. “Just saying, my lovely omen of death.”

May broke into a grin. “May Daye, was just too great a word-play to pass up on it!”

“Okay.” Jazz nodded. “So, our daughter?”

May froze.

“May?” Concerned Jazz put a hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

May nodded, slowly. “Our daughter?”

Ah. Jazz blushed a bit. “Well, she is, right?” What if she had misinterpreted everything said so far? What if May didn’t want – “Uff.” May was pressing her now against the wall, hand disappearing under the shirt.

“You’re beautiful,” the Fetch whispered. “Inside and out.” Then she kissed Jazz with a passion that lit up all the right places.

“More,” Jazz begged and pressed her hips against May’s.

“With pleasure.”

~

“Did she see all that just now?”

“Yep.”

“May, we are corrupting our baby!”

“Oh yes, and defiling Toby’s living room. In all the best ways.”

“Quiet over there, jerk.”

~

A bit later, Jazz was very relaxed and feeding her daughter. “So, about the name…?”

“Well, names have power, you know.” May was relaxing on the couch. “We thought she should get a nice name.”

“Absolutely unusual and new thoughts on this planet,” teased Jazz. “You’re stalling, dear.”

“Yeah, so we thought, why not a name that has some connection with swan?” May paused. “We choose Hansika…”

Jazz hadn’t heard that name before, but it had a certain melody she liked. “Hansika? What does it mean?”

“Beautiful swan.” May chuckled. “We also thought about using something with music to honour you, but Blues or Rock… well, no way I’m calling my daughter that. Don’t even try it.”

“Mmh.” Jazz smiled. “Don’t you think with such a name she might be later bullied in school?”

“What, because of Hansika?” May frowned.

Jazz shrugged. “Stranger things have happened. I thought of Margaret, meaning ‘child of light’. And we can shorten it to Daisy.” Her hair fluttered nervously and she put it down, before continuing, “Another form to shorten it is May.”

May rose from the couch and hugged Jazz from behind. “Thank you.”

“For what?” Jazz leaned against her, enjoying the warmth.

“For being you.” May kissed her neck.

“I’m the lucky one here,” said Jazz and meant it. “What about a combination – Hansika Margaret Daye. And we call her Daisy, because it means day’s dawn.”

Dawn, and old sign of hope and life. Jazz could have said many other things, but May caught the double meaning. Jazz wanted this baby to be their daughter in everything. 

May wanted the same. “Daye-Patel. Isn’t that a bit complicated?”

Jazz turned in her arms and kissed her. “Who cares, what the assholes think?”

May smiled. “No one. Hansika Margaret, our Daisy.”

Jazz kissed her again, slow and lovingly and decided that her life was perfect. Right now.

Really, she should send Caleb a thank-you note.


End file.
